Indian students look beyond the 'Big 4' for study-abroad dreams

Time of India

2 days ago

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The study abroad map for Indian students is rapidly changing, triggered by new visa rules, reduced post-study job opportunities, stringent protectionist measures, a real estate crisis in Canada and now the tussle between Harvard and the Trump administration.Many students are preferring Germany, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Japan, Dubai and South Korea over the 'Big 4' study destinations of the US, UK, Canada and Australia, according to half a dozen consultants ET spoke with. If the top four countries were attracting as much as 85% of the outbound Indian students until two years ago, now every second student is looking for options elsewhere, they said.Students and parents are increasingly considering the political and policy environments while choosing the study-abroad locations, consultants said. While tuition and living costs have always been key factors in decision-making, the risk of getting deported is a big concern now for many. Nevertheless, the appeal of studying abroad has not diminished.(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)"Even though the Big 4s dominate, Indian students are realigning their plans by exploring alternatives that offer affordable tuition fees, clear post-study pathways and geopolitical stability," said MSM Group founder Sanjay Laul.Indian student intakes in Canada decreased by 41% in 2024, while the numbers fell 28% in the UK and 13% in the US compared with 2023. Meanwhile, enrollments of Indian students in Germany increased to 34,702 in 2024 from 20,684 in 2022; in France, the number rose to 8,536 last year from 6,406 two years earlier, said Laul.In the past three years, Germany's bbw Hochschule - University of Applied Sciences has seen a 18-20% year-on-year increase in applications from India, primarily for the master's programmes, said Anup Sam Ninan, programme director, International Technology Transfer Management, at the university. These applications are not just from big cities in India, but also from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, he added.Immigration policies are a major factor when students consider their study-abroad destinations, said Nikhil Jain, founder, ForeignAdmits. "More than 70% were going to the Big 4 and now it's reduced to less than 50%, with Canada and Australia almost being whitewashed," said Jain."The US and Canadian numbers have declined over the last 12-18 months. Students are actively looking at emerging destinations like Dubai which are offering similar programmes at similar price points with clearer post study pathways," Leverage Edu founder Akshay Chaturvedi said.While the traditionally popular destinations may have lost some of the sheen, Saurabh Arora, founder of University Living, said the global student map isn't shrinking. "It's expanding, and India is right at the centre of that story," he said.Agreeing on the trend, Sachin Jain, country manager, ETS India & South Asia said, "While the traditional destinations remain popular, there is a desire in students to expand beyond the 'Big 4' to 'Big 10'."According to Aditya Shanker Raghuwanshi, founder, Masterclass Space, emerging nations or non-big 4s had 24 out of 100 Indian students in 2023. "Now in 2025, the trend is that these nations (non-big 4s) account for 71 out of 100 Indian students heading abroad for studies," he said.